WIMBLEDON, England: This time, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will be on opposite sides of the draw.
The seedings for Wimbledon were announced on Tuesday, with Djokovic and Nadal being Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the men’s draw because of the absence of Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev.
The top-ranked Medvedev cannot take part as a result of the All England Club’s decision to not allow players from Russia or Belarus to enter the event in 2022 over the invasion of Ukraine. Medvedev is Russian. The No. 2-ranked Zverev is out because of an ankle injury.
That means Djokovic and Nadal have been bumped up to being the top two seeded players and cannot now meet until the final. That wasn’t the case at the French Open last month, when Nadal beat Djokovic in the quarterfinals en route to winning a men’s-record 22nd Grand Slam title.
There will be a 23-time Grand Slam winner in the women’s draw in Serena Williams, but she will not be seeded.
The draw is Friday and the tournament begins Monday.
Since 2021, the seedings for both the men’s and women’s singles have been based on the world rankings.
Williams hasn’t played competitively since retiring from her first-round match at last year’s Wimbledon. She has been awarded a wild-card entry for the singles tournament at the All England Club starting next week and could therefore be drawn to play anyone in the first round.
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek of Poland will be the top-seeded player at Wimbledon.
Djokovic, Nadal top 2 seeds at Wimbledon; Williams unseeded
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Djokovic, Nadal top 2 seeds at Wimbledon; Williams unseeded
- The seedings for Wimbledon were announced on Tuesday
- Djokovic and Nadal being Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the men’s draw
Home track advantage for Ameerat Alzamaan in the world’s richest race
- 2025 Fillies Mile winner looking to take her chance on Saudi Cup weekend
RIYADH: Saudi Arabian trainer, Sami Alharabi believes home track advantage could play to the strengths of Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz’s runner, Ameerat Alzamaan (GB) in the Group 1 $20 million Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Saturday.
The brilliant Red Stable filly, a daughter of Ghaiyyath, has been a local success story winning six of her eight career starts including the 1,000 Guineas and then the Fillies Mile on The Saudi Cup undercard 12 months ago.
“I have been very pleased with her condition and believe she is in much better shape now than she was previously, showing clear improvement,” said Alharabi.
“My confidence comes from the noticeable development I see in her daily training, which gives me strong belief in her progression.
“It is very exciting to have a runner in The Saudi Cup and I place my trust in God for the filly to deliver a positive result.”
The four-year-old was supplemented into the Saudi Cup after missing out on an automatic entry when finding only the reopposing Mhally (GB) too strong in the G3 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup last month.
“I thought her performance in the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques was very good. It was a successful test for her, especially competing against seasoned and high-quality horses,” added the trainer.
She will race over 1,800 meters on Saturday, and Alharabi believes she will relish the longer distance: “The filly is versatile but I believe her ideal trip is between 1,800 meters and 2,000 meters, which suits her better than 1,600 meters.
“The Japanese horse, Forever Young, is the strongest and most dangerous rival and I anticipate a highly-competitive race, but the filly’s proven record at the track and her liking for the surface could work to her advantage and she will give a good account of herself.”
A jockey has yet to be selected, with Alharabi hoping for gates six or seven at Wednesday’s draw ceremony.
